Abstract
We present a low-cost (≈$150) monitoring system for collecting high temporal resolution residential water use data without disrupting the operation of commonly available water meters. This system was designed for installation on top of analog, magnetically driven, positive displacement, residential water meters and can collect data at a variable time resolution interval. The system couples an Arduino Pro microcontroller board, a datalogging shield customized for this specific application, and a magnetometer sensor. The system was developed and calibrated at the Utah Water Research Laboratory and was deployed for testing on five single family residences in Logan and Providence, Utah, for a period of over 1 month. Battery life for the device was estimated to be over 5 weeks with continuous data collection at a 4 s time interval. Data collected using this system, under ideal installation conditions, was within 2% of the volume recorded by the register of the meter on which they were installed. Results from field deployments are presented to demonstrate the accuracy, functionality, and applicability of the system. Results indicate that the device is capable of collecting data at a temporal resolution sufficient for identifying individual water use events and analyzing water use at coarser temporal resolutions. This system is of special interest for water end use studies, future projections of residential water use, water infrastructure design, and for advancing our understanding of water use timing and behavior. The system’s hardware design and software are open source, are available for potential reuse, and can be customized for specific research needs.
Highlights
The vast majority of water meters used by water supply utilities today for quantifying residential water consumption are analog, magnetically driven, positive displacement meters
We describe an open-source datalogger that uses an Arduino microcontroller board in combination with other commonly available hardware components to measure and record high temporal resolution water use data on analog, magnetically driven, positive displacement meters
For potential users who do not want to assemble dataloggers from components, we have provided a printed circuit board (PCB) design that can be used for commercial manufacture and assembly
Summary
The vast majority of water meters used by water supply utilities today for quantifying residential water consumption are analog, magnetically driven, positive displacement meters. Other authors have developed and tested different sensors and data-recording devices to identify when a fixture is used within the house [9,10,11,12] With these technologies, disaggregation of end uses requires the existence of a smart meter capable of high temporal resolution data collection. Disaggregation of end uses requires the existence of a smart meter capable of high temporal resolution data collection These devices can identify when, and in some cases where, a fixture is being used, but rely on postprocessing of the smart meter data to estimate volumes, flow rates, and other characteristics of the events. We describe an open-source datalogger that uses an Arduino microcontroller board in combination with other commonly available hardware components to measure and record high temporal resolution water use data on analog, magnetically driven, positive displacement meters. The Hardware, Firmware, and Data Availability section at the end of this article provides links to directories where readers can find: (a) hardware designs along with instructions for performing all of the hardware modifications described and a diagram of connections, (b) printed circuit board (PCB) designs and all information required to manufacture them, and (c) firmware code along with more detailed documentation about the organization and functioning of firmware, and (d) data and scripts to reproduce calculations presented here
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